Euphonium player Christopher Leslie takes top prize at Falcone Festival

Christopher Leslie, DMA student at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, took home first prize last night in the Euphonium Artist Division of the 2014 Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Competition. For four days each August, euphonium and tuba players from around the world descend upon Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Mich., to compete for one of several prestigious awards. The Falcone Festival is named in honor of Leonard Falcone, euphoniumist and former director of bands at Michigan State University, and has awarded almost $200,000 in prize money since its inception in 1986. Leslie is a student of David Zerkel.